Snape's Student
by Misty-Eyed Pixie
Summary: A new student comes to Hogwarts late. After hiding her Powers for fifteen years, she discovers they aren't even normal in the wizarding world. Wandless magic, silver hair, and powers previously unheard of are coming your way!
1. The Arrival

Samantha gasped in wonder as she saw the castle for the first time through the curtain of vines. Her gray eyes flashed briefly purple, and faded back to normal. This was to be her home for the next three years. Her silver hair was tied back in a firm bun, and glistened softly in the moonlight as she drifted slowly towards the castle, water lapping underneath her trailing fingers. Her simple black robe covered a school uniform, minus the house colors. A great hulk of a man sat behind her, his bushy beard masking any trace of a mouth. Every so often he would let out a quiet grunt. Eagerly anticipating the arrival, she checked Hagrid. He was staring off in the direction of the forbidden forest. She gave a casual flick of her finger towards the rear of the boat. The boat gave an involuntary shudder and sped up. She did a quick shoulder check. Hagrid didn't appear to have noticed anything. Loose hair undulated in the wind, and she let out a quiet tinkling laugh as they sped into the rising moonlight.

She was greeted at the door by a stern looking woman with her graying hair tied back in a no-nonsense bun. Her bespectacled eyes glinted as she regarded Samantha appraisingly. "Is this she?" she asked Hagrid. Hagrid nodded solemnly. "Very well, follow me" she commanded. With a farewell glance and backhand wave at Hagrid, who returned the farewell with a wink, she followed the imposing woman into the brilliant torchlight of the main doors. Beyond the enormous doors lay a welcoming corridor that branched out into countless winding corridors. The torches became less numerous as they moved onwards, twisting and turning to suit the confines of the many passages as they ascended. Ten flights of stairs, three portrait passages, and one locked door later, they were finally standing outside the doors of the Great Hall.

The Professor nodded Samantha off to the left-hand side of the doors and knocked three times. The murmur within subsided instantly. She beckoned Samantha to follow and pushed open the heavy doors. Once open they locked magically in place and allowed Samantha room to follow the Professor. She stepped out into the blinding glow of thousands of levitating candles. She blinked her watering eyes and followed the professor into the brilliant glow. To each side of her were two tables packed full of children and teenagers clad in black. Each table had two colors on their ties and a symbol on the front of their robes. Blue and silver were Ravenclaw, black and yellow were Hufflepuff, silver and green were Slytheryn, and green and gold belonged to Gryffindor. The members at each table were all muttering amongst themselves quietly as Samantha strolled calmly down the aisle. She began to feel a twinge of nervousness, followed by a surge of fear as she spotted the mangy hat upon a three-legged stool. She knew all about the test, of course, having read about it in Hogwarts - a History, but after having read the portion numerous times she could still not find a house that suited her. Slytheryn was definitely out of the question, no questions asked. She didn't feel smart enough for Ravenclaw, or brave enough for Gryffindor. Hufflepuff was her only option, she thought gloomily. From what I've heard, that's not where I want to end up. She was acutely aware of every eye in the great hall upon her as she sat upon the stool and pulled the ratty hat upon her silver wisps of hair. She shivered in apprehension as silence suddenly befell the great hall, and jumped slightly as the hat began to speak. "Not Slytheryn, high morals; couldn't be Hufflepuff, too many secrets that would impair your ability to make friends there; hmmmmmmmmm, where shall I put you?" She grinned to herself as her two least favorite houses were eliminated. "A great deal of fear, and no means to conquer it. Not Gryffindor…" Samantha knew what was coming, or so she thought. Oddly, instead of calling out Ravenclaw after eliminating the rest, the hat continued to ponder. "Couldn't be Ravenclaw, you haven't any book learning skills. Plenty of intelligence, yes, but Ravenclaw would not have accepted you. Wherever shall you go?" Samantha grew nervous as the minutes ticked away, and the hat's mutterings became incomprehensible. A murmur began to swell in the great hall. What was taking so long? Who was this girl? After five minutes of waiting, Dumbledore begged pardon of the great hall, commenced the feast, and removed the hat from Samantha's head. "Follow me, my dear." He said with a sparkle in his eye. He turned and swept out a side door of the great hall, with a now trembling fifteen-year-old student in his wake.


	2. The Greeting

Disclaimer - I ain't ever done plagiarize this 'ere story

"Child, there has never been a student before who was not sorted promptly, all of the students in which the hat was puzzled about has been decided by the student while the hat searched. You, on the other hand, have stumped it. Your own lack of preference has stumped it." He gazed up at her with sparkling blue eyes. "Perhaps another minute before we make a decision? You seemed to be quite uncomfortable up there." He gazed at the youth, who promptly looked away. He could sense buried secrets in her mind. He opened her mind, fearful of a danger to the school, and began to search. No sooner had he found a fuzzy memory of a scraped knee when suddenly he felt a pulling, a resistance in her mind. Suddenly, with an alarming _wrench_ the memory was pulled from his mental grasp. Dumbledore was stunned. No one had ever been able to close their mind to him before, not even Tom Riddle! He attempted to probe her mind again, but could find no entrance. "Don't do that." The child stood before him, eyes blazing in fury, but she spoke in an increasingly quiet and calm voice "Never do that again."

After an intense pause, she sat back down quickly and looked away, but not before Dumbledore swore he saw her eyes flash violet. He handed her the hat silently, and she accepted it silently, still not making eye contact. He left for his study, needing a minute to mull over her actions before proclaiming to her the only solution. She had too much power, and too many secrets to belong in any house. The only solution was for her to become an independent.

She turned to watch the headmaster's retreating back. Now she'd done it. She sighed bleakly. She was infuriated that he had tried to search her mind without permission, but understood why he had done it. She could sense his love of the school and his students and the ferocity of his protection. He was a good man. She had overreacted, and while doing so, had almost lost her temper. She had learnt years ago that there were rules to living that must not be breached at any cost. Keep your head down; never, never, _never_ lose your temper, and never let on how much power you've got. She had read too many books to consider breaching any rule intentionally. Even in the muggle world, telepathic people, inventors, people who told a different version of the truth, anyone who had broken a confine of society had been shunned by the normal world. And she had almost lost her temper. And he had left her alone with a hat for company.

Oops. She was supposed to be negotiating a house. She jammed the hat onto her head and ignored it as it continued to mumble to itself. What if someone found out she could do magic without a wand? What if someone found out she could make wings sprout from her back by hunching a certain way? What if someone found out she could create indestructible force fields by wishing them to exist, or could become invisible without a cloak? What if someone found out she was _different_?

Dumbledore, who had re-entered his office, interrupted her in her musings. She removed the hat and stood quickly, startled by his sudden appearance. He waved her down, but continued to stand, staring out of a window into the distance. She sat and waited nervously for the sentencing for her outburst. He finally snapped back into the present and cleared his throat. "My dear, you are the only independent ever to grace this school, and oddly, the four founders explained the process remarkably well. If a student cannot be sorted, he or she will become an independent." She was bewildered. What the heck was an independent? Was this her punishment? "An independent is a student without a house. They receive special tutelage by becoming apprenticed to a Professor. You will, in essence, learn seven years of magic in one year, then decide what field of magic to specialize into." He glanced at her stunned face, his eyes twinkling. "You can use _all_ of your talents by becoming an independent."

She sighed. She would never be allowed to use _all_ her talents. She often wondered what it would be like to just run into a field and take off, regardless of whom would be watching, or summon something without going through the pretense of pulling out her unnecessary wand and waving it foolishly.

"I shall arrange for your tutor by nightfall, meet me back here by seven tonight and I'll have your luggage ready. I'm certain you have some exploring to do."

As she left the room, Dumbledore's curiosity could not be withheld any longer. As the door snapped shut with a loud _click_, he pulled out his wand and scanned her luggage for any kind of oddity that would reveal to him whom he would be dealing with. Nope, nothing out of the ordinary. Clothes, books, wand… wand? No wizard ever went anywhere without their wand, anything could happen. Well, she hadn't learnt any magic yet, anyway. She would have just as much chance in Hogwarts without it as she would have with it. Satisfying himself with this thought, he pulled out a bag of lemon drops from his bottom drawer and turned his mind to other important matters.


	3. The Flight

Disclaimer. I own this story, but I've stolen the characters. So sue me. (Hides from lawyers waving papers) Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo…

I've only received two reviews, one of which I've given myself. Please throw me a bone here!!!

Chapter 3

Samantha stepped out of the revolving gargoyle and groaned. Great. She had forgotten her wand. Way to not raise suspicion, she admonished herself. Staring down the corridor, she shrugged. Might as well go exploring. It wasn't like anyone would know it was missing but herself. She just wouldn't cast any spells within sight of others. Her luggage was in good hands. She turned right and started down the corridor.

Severus Snape was having an annoying day. His first year class had collectively melted, blown up, and dissolved ten cauldrons during today alone, bringing the total up to sixty-eight. Really sad. Thank gods he didn't have to provide their cauldrons. All the inbreeding by the pureblood families was beginning to show by the weakened magical bloodstream. He groaned. At least he only had to teach them twice a week. As he had petitioned Albus to have Thursday afternoons off, he wondered what to do with his free time. There was an enticing experimental potion calling his name in his laboratory, but only hellebore would persuade the potion to produce the desired effects. That meant a trip to the greenhouse. Well, perhaps it would be worth a quick trip to the greenhouse for hours of entertainment. With a sigh, he put on his black cape with the dramatic flaring at the bottom. He loved the way it swooped and billowed about him. Feeling slightly more cheerful, he left the frigid dungeons for the ascending corridors.

Samantha strolled happily down the deserted hallways. She reveled in solitude, and was very glad indeed that the other students were all in class. She let her feet guide her, and merely observed the many corridors passing. She entered a narrow out-of-the-way corridor that ended in a doorway. Opening the door, she gasped. A magnificent balcony, overlooking the grounds. The sun warmed her face and she turned to let the sun embrace her fully. Oh, how she loved the sun. Six months of the year weren't warm enough to let the snow melt, so spring and fall didn't in reality exist for her. But the summer, oh, the summer meant bike trips, sunbathing, and_ warmth._ Winter would be coming along again soon, so she immediately resolved to spend as much time as possible outdoors. No time like the present. The stone balcony suddenly seemed confining. She wanted to go onto the carpet of grass below and sink her bare feet into the cool foliage. She turned to go the way she had come, but realized that she would become lost within the castle in minutes. She glanced around. There was nobody in sight. With a flick of her wrist, a simple Disillusionment charm was cast. She examined herself. Not perfect, but passable. Removing her outer robe, she double-checked there was nobody around again. She stopped for a moment. What the hell, why not. She grabbed her hair elastic and pulled. Her gray hair turned silver once loose, like it was waiting to be freed. She shook her head vigorously to get rid of the feel of restraint upon her hair, then began her transformation.

She clenched her fists, and shifted her back so her wing buds were in position. Then, with a wrenching cry of pain, she forced her pointed wings out of their hidden shafts and spread them. She quickly checked - but no, her silver gossamer wings were cleverly hidden by the enchantment as well. She felt a trickle of blood down each of the shoulder blades. She could clean it later; she had been dying to fly for weeks. She backed up to the castle wall facing the edge of the balcony and began her routine.

She kicked off her shoes next to the wall and bounced a few times on the balls of her feet. She had always been slightly afraid of flying, but the danger was part of the exhilaration. She understood that her gifts were very rare, but longed for by almost all. It would almost be an insult to the spirits to not use this gift she was bestowed. After a couple of deep breaths she clapped her hands together three times to invoke the powers of the spirits around her. She stretched her wings as far as they would reach, a good twelve feet wingspan. And began.

She flapped her wings furiously, tearing down the balcony towards the looming edge. She timed her jump perfectly, clearing the two-foot high balcony railing. She plummeted thirty feet, then spread her wings. With an enormous WOOSH she was airborne. She flapped a few times to gain some speed and altitude, then relaxed into the normal pattern of flight. She swooped, glided, floated and twirled in the air, joy taking her breath away. Spontaneously, she burst into song.

Snape was just leaving the greenhouse with dried hellebore when suddenly he spotted a figure on a balcony out of the corner of his eye. He blinked, and the figure disappeared. A disillusion or invisibility charm. This could only mean mischief, students using magic to play pranks or steal food from the kitchens. He cast a reality charm upon his eyes. The figure came back into view, for him at least. He squinted his eyes against the sun, and tried to distinguish the person from the glare. The person was removing a cloak. It was hunching its back. It changed form! He tried to figure out what had happened, but before he could, the person began sprinting towards the edge of the balcony. He fumbled for his wand, but dropped it. He snatched it from the ground and pointed it towards the balcony, but the person was gone. He stared, dumbfounded for a moment, then decided that the sensible action would be to check the ground below. He swooped across the lawn, the nearest he could come to a jog before losing his dignity. There was nobody to be found. Directly above him, a voice began a lilting song. Slowly raising his head to see whom sang, he saw a young woman with silver hair swooping and twirling in the air upon enormous wings. The woman did not sing in words, but rather sounds. A language unspoken, but comprehended by all. Her voice wove through the air, a symphony of life itself, and the joy of living. A song professor Snape had not heard for many years.

She quietly let her voice fade out. She glided lower and lower, and landed cat-like in the relatively hidden space behind the greenhouses. Breathless, she shook out her hair. Concentrating hard, she retracted her wings, and threw a charm over her shoulder to mend her shirt where they had pierced through. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, where it changed back to gray, she looked around. A stone walkway wound back up to the castle. Good. A man dressed all on black was coming towards her. Had he seen her? She laughed. Impossible, she had yet to remove the charm. A flick of the wrist and it was off. Deciding it would look rather odd to be hiding behind the greenhouse when the man approached, she strolled out into the field calmly. The grass felt wonderful under her feet, and she wiggled her toes happily as she walked. The man swooped at her at an alarming rate. She stopped facing him and put on her most innocent face. He stopped in front of her and regarded her with a very curious expression. "Did you see…?" Realizing how stupid it would sound to ask if she had seen a winged person land around here, he changed tactics. "Did you see anything unusual happen just now?" Samantha appeared puzzled. "No, what do you mean?" Close up, her eyes were gray. "Any unusual birds, perhaps?"

She choked. He had seen her, but how? The charm should have worked. She met his eyes and shook her head no. "Sorry." Needing time to think, she decided to go back to the castle and lose herself until her meeting with Dumbledore. "I have to leave, I have a meeting now", she fibbed. "I have no doubt we shall be meeting again soon. Until we meet again." After a polite curtsy, she turned and began walking quickly back to the castle without looking back.

Snape gazed after her, stunned. Two trickles of blood trailed down her shoulderblades.


	4. Samantha's Tutor

Severus stood, stunned, as Samantha walked briskly away. My gods! Imagine! Wings! To sweep and swirl across the sky at will, without a broomstick keeping you aloft. He wondered what other secrets the girl had to hide. Intrigued, he followed her, summoning his ever-useful invisibility cloak as he went.

She knew He was following her. The ghostly pale man, whom she could sense had experienced horrors unheard of firsthand. She felt nervous. It had been difficult to discern his thoughts. She could not tell if he had been the victim or the perpetrator of the horrors. Shuddering slightly, she increased her pace, but was still aware as he disappeared under the invisibility cloak. Cloak! She summoned her cloak and shoes and continued to walk swiftly. Undaunted, they caught up to her and she put them on as she went. He was following her more quickly now, to keep up. She broke into a mad dash, and sprinted up the school's steps. Once inside the doors, she leant against them, panting. Frightened, she decided the best course of action would be to hide before the man entered, too. Realizing the charm she had used earlier had been useless, she ran further into the school, greatly anxious to place much distance between herself and the Man.

Severus flew inside the school doors, but she was gone. He was sure he would see her again, though. Ignoring a startled group of first-year Hufflepuffs who had seen his mad dash, he began a brisk trot up to the Headmaster's office. He was certainly going to get to the bottom of this, no matter what it took. His curiosity had been piqued. As Dumbledore seemed to know everything, Severus decided a cup of tea at his office would be worth the tidbits of information he would wring out of the old man.

She leant against the rounded stone wall of the owlery, panting. That had been close. She decided to wait out the time before her meeting with the Headmaster in the relative safety around her, as He would surely be searching still. With a relieved sigh at her decision, she leant against the cool wall behind her and slid slowly down the wall, careful not to sit in any droppings. The rustling of the owls above her, and the warmth that the birds created slowly lulled her to sleep…

Half an hour later, Snape left the office scowling. Along with his infernal hints and twinkling blue eyes, Albus hadn't let out a single clue about the girl, and asked him to come back in half an hour. The nerve! Half an hour was barely enough time to get his cauldron simmering. There would be no experiments today. Another week of teaching snot-nosed little brats how to make basic potions. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

Samantha was startled awake by her inner sense. She could tell someone truly powerful was approaching. It would be best to be prepared. Standing up, she rubbed the grogginess from her eyes and took a casual pose by a window. From here, she could attack with either hand, and still be close enough to the window to make a quick exit if needed. The sun was setting and the footsteps grew nearer. The door opened, and she tensed. A dancing pair of blue eyes and a long crooked nose appeared. She relaxed slightly as Dumbledore entered the room, laughing at her own foolishness. Hogwarts was well protected. After a moment, she nodded ascent to his request for a cup of tea, and followed him from the room.

Severus grumbled and muttered to himself as he neared Albus's office. He snapped the password (Mars Bars) at the gargoyle and stepped onto the revolving staircase. Entering the office without so much as a knock, he flew in and collapsed on his usual chair without looking around. "Albus, remind me again why I'm here." No answer. He glanced up. No Albus. Looking around the room, he spotted a chair at the far end of the room with its back to him. A student's robes peeked out from the edge of the chair, feet were pulled up, and the head pulled down, hiding. He grinned, holding in a snicker. He still had it. Deciding to ignore the student until Albus arrived, he settled into his chair. Albus arrived less than thirty seconds later from one of his back rooms, carrying an enormous silver tray with three teacups on it. Severus grunted a greeting to him, then raised an eyebrow at the cups, clearly asking why there were three instead of the usual two. "One for you, one for me…and one for Samantha." Albus replied happily.

Samantha, sitting in a chair, waited for Albus to come back with the promised tea, anxious to meet the Professor she would study under. Bored, she moved the chair to face the window at the far corner of the room. Somebody burst into the office. She turned, then swore under her breath. It was He. The man who had seen her fly, then had followed her, was sitting in the same room. If she let her presence be known, he would most likely recognize her and corner her. Thinking fast, she ducked and pulled up her feet, hoping and praying he hadn't noticed her. She heard a soft snicker, then Albus came back carrying a tray and three steaming teacups. She heard her name called, and quickly changed her hair color. Hopefully that would be enough. Pretending to be confident, she got up from the chair and hauled it over to the desk. She snuck a glance at the Man, but he appeared to be busy frowning at Headmaster Dumbledore. Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow at Samantha's new auburn hair, but chose not to comment. "Severus, this is Samantha, the Independent." Severus sighed. Duh. "She will study under you for the next year or so, until she is caught up with the others at her age level." Severus and Samantha both became ridged, then began to protest at exactly the same time. Samantha from pure terror, Severus from anger. "You can't expect me to give up my own..." "I can't! Not him, anybody else, please! I swear I'll catch up myself if I have to…" "…not enough I give up my days teaching brats, now my life! Well I …" Albus held up a hand, cutting them both off mid-sentence. "I have my own reasons for this match. The decision is final." Samantha felt as though her stomach was sinking through to the ground. She began to shiver, but not noticeably. As the decision was final, she decided she had better get herself back under control, and quickly.

Severus realized Albus had on the expression he used when he was ready to fight to the end. It would be useless to protest until Albus was calm again. It would be easier to provide the girl - Samantha – with a room for the night and try to settle this tomorrow.

Albus regarded them both solemnly. He had thought long and hard about this decision. He was too busy, and the other teachers had classes plus work for the Order. He was not belittling Severus's usefulness. He was their only spy inside the circle of deatheaters, after all. It was just that he only had to work once a month or so – whenever he was called by Tom – and he had the most free time. A nagging feeling inside his head protested. That wasn't the only reason. Severus needed a friendly face. He was alone too much. He skipped meals, hated his job at Hogwarts, and was a double agent. He needed somebody extraordinary to show him the light. Albus would have loved to – Severus was like a son to him. He fully understood him like nobody else could, and was the only one Severus would trust with his fears. He needed a way to break their bond, and have Severus focus his emotions on another. He was an old man, on the top of a powerful dark wizard's hit list. He was also a key figure in the fight against the dark lord. Chances were that he wouldn't survive past the year. He needed somebody to be there for Severus when his death was proclaimed, or he would crack. He loved him like a son. Loved him enough to let him go.

Samantha was ideal. Young and strong, with a hidden power Albus couldn't identify. She wasn't accepted by the other houses, so without Severus, she would be a loner. He hoped that if Severus became responsible for her well being, he might be moved to act accordingly, and forge a connection through interaction. It was a perfect plan.

Albus shooed them out the door, with the excuse that she may want to get settled in. He called a house elf through the fireplace, and asked it politely to bring Samantha's luggage to Professor Snape's quarters. After the house elf grabbed the bags and disappeared, he looked at his desk and sighed.

Throughout all that commotion, the once steaming tea lay cold and untouched.


	5. Snape finds out

Samantha and Severus stood outside the gargoyle, having been shooed out. Samantha, stunned, stared blankly at the wall.

Severus didn't have time to think in the Headmaster's office, but now that he was alone again, a startling realization struck him. It was so painfully obvious that he kicked himself mentally. There was one new student, the girl with silver hair who had hidden wings. The student he was supposed to care for had auburn hair, and was new to the school. There was only one new student. Hair color charms were elementary magic. He pulled out his wand quietly and muttered "Finite incantatum" Her hair became silver. "You!" he yelled. The girl jumped and was off like a flash, tearing down the hallway. A well-placed immobility hex halted her mid-stride. As he approached, he noticed she was shivering uncontrollably, and struggled to close her eyes as he approached. He felt a pang of pity for the girl. He hadn't meant to scare her that much. Intimidate, yes. Insult, yes. Scare to the point of hysteria, no. He removed the hex, wand pointed at her in warning. She collapsed onto the floor and squeezed her eyes shut, still shaking.

"You" he said again quietly, as she lay on the ground. "Follow me." He turned and swept down the hall. After three or four steps, he turned again. She lay on the ground still, eyes tightly closed, lips moving silently. Then she fainted, probably from fright. Without a word, Severus walked back and picked her up in his arms. He turned and began the long walk to the dungeons, hoping nobody would see him carrying the girl.

She felt warm and content. Somebody warm with a faint smell of spices on his cloak was carrying her, probably to somewhere she could sleep in peace. Even if the man the Headmaster referred to as "Professor Snape" knew about her wings, that was no reason to fret. What could he possibly do? Besides, even if he told other people, they wouldn't believe him. That thought settled, she relaxed, and allowed herself to be carried away on the tides of sleep…

Severus finally reached his chambers. Where could he put the girl? He decided he felt sorry enough for the girl to let her have the bed, and he would sleep on the couch himself. He put her down, and removed her outer cloak. The bloodstains were still on her back. He studied them thoughtfully, then decided he wanted to study it closer. He went and found an enormous black nightshirt. This would be the tricky part. He lay the shirt on top of her and got his wand. Closing his eyes, he performed a switching charm. Waiting an extra five seconds, just to be sure, he opened his eyes. Perfect. The gown covered her completely, neck to toes, and her shirt was available for inspection. He concluded that the wings had come from her shoulder blades, and that the base of each wing was about one foot wide. They began at her shoulder blades, but also connected at the middle of her back, like a V. Amazing. The girl began to stir, and he walked over to her. She fluttered her eyes, blinked hard a few times, and looked straight at him. Her eyes changed from gray to green to yellow, and settled on a deep shade of purple flecked with red as she opened her mouth to scream. Severus performed a quick silencing charm on instinct, and walked over to her. Trying to be gentle, he sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her silently as she tried her hardest to make a noise. When she stopped her silent screaming, he prepared his wand for the counter-charm. It was unnecessary.

She snapped her fingers and a violent storm of words poured out of her mouth. "How _dare_ you? You invade my privacy and then bring me to your chamber?" She was fuming mad. "And what am I wearing? How did you get this on me? Is this yours? She became even louder. "I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON!" Small dust devils sprang up in the corners of the room and lightning flashed overhead, where a swirling gray mist suggested the beginnings of a really nasty storm. Going for broke, Severus pulled out his wand and offered it to her, with the point facing himself.

The room became silent instantly, the mist overhead disappeared, and the wind died. He sat very still, lest she began the storm again, still holding out the wand. She took it and looked him in the eyes. There was fear there, naturally, and anger, but the thing that struck her deeply was the understanding and the need for friendship she found hidden in his eyes. She looked deeper, and she saw a sad and lonely man, who had built a shell to protect himself from the world. He maintained eye contact, and suddenly she just _knew_ that he was not the one who had committed the nameless horrors found in his past. She silently held out his wand, and he accepted it back silently. Her eyes faded back to gray. He broke the silence first. "My name is Severus Snape. I am the potions professor of Hogwarts." He stood and bowed deeply. "I apologize for not waking you to introduce you to your temporary chambers. You are indeed wearing one of my night robes, because I thought you would be more comfortable in nightwear than in your clothing." Here she saw a lie in his eyes. "You wanted to see my shirt." She said suddenly. Snape was unnerved. Could she read minds? "Why?" she asked. He held out her shirt with the bloodstains in plain view. She nodded. She had suspected he knew about her wings, but now she knew he knew. A question burst through. "May I see them?" Severus asked. Samantha thought for a moment before answering. There was nothing to lose. "Okay." She said. "May I have a minute?" He left her, astounded at her generosity. An ironic smile appeared. And he thought he would be having a boring night.

As soon as Severus left, Samantha grabbed her normal shirt and put it on, cleaning the back of it magically as she did so. She made a small tear in the back so she wouldn't have to rip through and take the chance of becoming entangled in it. She pulled her hair out from her ponytail and set it free. Deciding he probably wanted to see how her wings emerged, too, she called him back into the room before she began her transformation. She strained her back and the points tore her skin open. Her back bled freely as her wings emerged and unfurled.

Severus gasped at the magnificence of her wings. He reached out a hand instinctively, but caught himself and pulled it back. She nodded. He reached out again and brushed a finger along the edge of her wing. It felt softer than the softest gossamer. It curled around his finger as he moved it, wrapping it snug. Samantha fought back a rising giggle at the complete wonder in his eyes. She had a flash of inspiration. She could trust him. "Are you afraid of heights?" She asked, a twinkle in her eye and a mischievous grin upon her lips. "No" He replied, puzzled.

"Follow me."

Deciding it would hurt too much to have her wings tear through three times in one day, she cast a quick invisibility charm. She led him out of his chambers and up to the owlery, the only place high enough she could think of. Removing the spell, she hopped onto the window ledge and offered her hand. He stared at it. She gestured for him to come closer, and he acquiesced doubtfully, grasping her hand. She edged herself out onto the edge of the wide window ledge, and stopped. Just in case, she conjured a parachute out of thin air for Severus, and he put it on gratefully. He froze. "Where's your wand?" She too froze. Uh-oh. Well, she had trusted him this far. She looked him in the eye. "I don't need one." Oddly, he accepted this without comment. After he was settled into the parachute, she grabbed him tightly and jumped off the edge!

Severus and Samantha dropped from the tower. She spread her wings, and the air caught them. Gliding quickly towards the lake, she skimmed the surface of the water before beating her wings. Flying with somebody else was more difficult than flying alone, but Samantha held them both up without a problem. She struggled to climb higher into the night sky.

Flying was better than his wildest dreams! He was able to drop the smirk he was forced to wear, day after day, and let out a real grin. This was amazing! He yelled "Higher, higher!" and she responded by rising ever higher in the night air. His laughter of joy burst through, and he was happy, truly genuinely happy, for the first time ever.

She could feel the air becoming thinner under her wings as she gained the highest height she could fly safely in. She sensed happiness radiating off the Man/Snape/Severus - as he hurdled alongside her in flight. She questioned who he was, and what had affected his past so intensely as to force him to keep up a façade of coolness towards the world. She noticed suddenly that it was very cold. She had left her cloak in the owlery, and gave an involuntary shiver as the air around her chilled. Deciding it was a long enough flight for tonight, she turned back towards the school.


	6. Friendship and memories

Samantha landed awkwardly, the weight of Severus throwing her off balance. She struggled to let him down softly, then collapsed. Severus lost his grin and raced over to her. She lay sprawled on her front, the blood on her back plainly visible. He wondered how much it would hurt to have wings burst through flesh. He shuddered slightly – he was no stranger to pain. Poor girl. Realizing that a chill had set into the air, he took off his cloak and wrapped her in it. Deciding that the best thing to do would be to get her inside as soon as possible, he tried to wake her. She stirred slightly, then let out a gasp and sat up, shivering. He offered a hand, which she accepted, and together, they made their way back into the castle.

Back in his chambers, four cups of tea later, they were chatting together like old friends. Neither of them could figure out how they could feel so comfortable with someone they hardly knew. Severus had never had a friend besides Albus before, and had no experiences with teenagers despite snarling and intimidating them. Samantha, thankfully, kept the conversation rolling, friendly and casual, until Severus let out the question that had been nagging him since he had met her.

"So, what can you do, besides the flying thing, I noticed wandless magic…"

Samantha already knew he had enough information to make her a lab rat for life. Would telling him everything make him more inclined to keep what he already knew to himself?

Deciding this was not a decision to be taken lightly, she requested another cup of tea that she didn't really want and pondered her response.

It was getting late. Perhaps she could sleep on it and give an answer tomorrow.

She requested the time. It was eleven. She yawned and stretched.

"It's getting late…"

"Yes…"

He knew she was procrastinating, but decided not to ruin the shaky friendship they had mutually agreed upon. Pulling her luggage from behind the black sofa, he froze and mentally kicked himself. He hadn't set up her quarters yet!

He led her to his office, kitchen, and laboratory, shaking his head at each one. Maybe he could clean out his storage room. It was originally supposed to be a guest bedroom anyways. Bringing her back to the sofa, he conjured a fluffy black pillow and a black quilt. She was about to sit when he shook his head no and motioned to the master bedroom. Listening to his thoughts, she realized what a rare event it was to be offered what he claimed as his own. He didn't share easily. Biting back her protests, she accepted gracefully, and brought her luggage into the room for the night.

He gaped at the sight of his storage room. He hadn't been in it for years, as there was never any reason to enter it. Cauldrons were stacked to the ceiling, pewter, bronze, silver, gold, all with remnants of previously brewed potions sticking crusty on the interior. Everything was covered in a thin layer of grime, and cobwebs covered the ceiling. Books were strewn randomly around the room with titles such as 'Cauldron maintenance with Minnie' and 'Bubbling brews for creaky shoes'. Giving a small snort at one called 'creamy concoctions for the careless cow', he began cleaning.

At about one in the morning the room was empty and sparkling clean and the professor was covered in a thin layer of grime. His wand was protesting from overuse as he tucked it away. He didn't think it would take this long, but finally everything was washed, shrunk, and put away in his lab. He scanned the room again. Bare stone walls, bare stone roof, and bare stone floor, all magically scoured. Deciding the girl could fill it and decorate it herself, he left the room and collapsed on the sofa, forgetting to set his alarm. The night's numerous events caught up with him, and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, at daybreak, Samantha woke with a start. She had a strong feeling that she needed to wake up Severus, but she wasn't sure why. Knowing by now that her instinct was always right, she got out of the warm, cozy bed, wrapped herself in her housecoat, and set off for the living room.

A soft hand tapping his shoulder gently awakened him. He lashed out from instinct and caught the wrist. There was no resistance. He rose one eyebrow in question before remembering the previous night. Letting go of the wrist like he had been stung, he said quietly, "Samantha?"

She nodded, barely perceptible in the dim light. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "What time is it?"

She wasn't sure.

Groaning he stood and padded over to his laboratory, where a large grandfather clock stood in one corner.

"Seven o' three", he gaped, astonished. "How did you know?"

Samantha shrugged.

He was flabbergasted. He always got up at seven o' three, and he was certain that nobody save himself knew it. Maybe she checked his alarm? But he didn't hear it go off…

He decided he needed a shower to think it over, but what to do with the girl so she wouldn't snoop in his things? Perhaps she could work on her rooms, thereby leaving his alone…

Samantha grinned at that precise moment, and left the living room for the master bedroom. She returned with her luggage. "Where to, Professor?"

Composing his shock, he led the girl to her bare room.

"Perfect" she gushed, making his cheeks flush pale pink. It was only a bare room.

He left her alone and strolled to the washroom, needing time to wonder about how much this girl could do.

She evaluated the room. Stone walls, stone roof, and stone floor looking recently scoured. Fairly large, about fifteen feet by twenty. It seemed big enough for her purposes. Grinning mischievously, she set to work.

Toweling off his hair, he recounted what he knew about her.

She could fly

She could perform wandless magic

She could possibly read minds

And that was all.

He knew nothing of her family, her background. He did not know for what purpose Albus had paired him up with her. He did not know all of her powers. He didn't know why she wasn't at Hogwarts in her first year, or why she was sorted as an independent. Was she too close to all four houses for them to decide, or so far out that nobody could claim her? Why was he chosen as the best candidate to tutor her? How could Albus put such a young impressionable mind with incredible powers in such terrible hands? He examined them. Smooth pale hands, with long nimble fingers, each ending in a flat nail. He knew that each hand had done monstrous things, and was appalled. How could Albus have done it? He would corrupt her innocent mind with horrors beyond the imagination!

He clenched his fists. No, he wouldn't. He would not tell her about his days as a death eater. He would not tell her of his double agent role. If he was called by old moldy voldie, he would simply have to make an excuse, and never let on where he was really going. He couldn't wash the blood from his own hands, but he could keep her hands clean, her mind pure. He would do it! He just had to! Perhaps once he had raised and taught this child her lessons, and let her out in the world with good morals to fight against evil, maybe, just maybe, a drop of blood would be washed from his hands. He knew better than to pray for absolution, but he had to do something to make up for the evils he had done…

This was why he continued to go to death eater meetings, accepting the curses, the beatings, the punishment gashes that were now scars. There was a magical way to remove the scars, but he left them, eternal reminders of what he had done, and what he must make up for…

He never noticed Samantha peering around the corner, nor did he notice her leave and go back into her room.

So this was his big secret, Samantha sighed.

Next chapter - Samantha decorates her room while pondering what she has learnt.

Hey, everyone! I have a little question for you all! I just realized that fanfiction website stories are written by people around the world, and was wondering just how far away these people are.

So, where are you from?

I will update once I get five reviews, and in the next chapter, I will tell you where I am from.

Thank you for reading my story.


	7. A new room

Samantha leant back against one of her walls. Her luggage sat in the middle of her empty room, looking very small. Deciding it would be necessary to prepare her room eventually, she smiled. No time like the present. Facing a corner, she rolled up her sleeves and began.

With a wave of her hand, she conjured up an enormous four poster bed, with a sensible forest green duvet. The dark posts swirled their way up to the ceiling like the branches of a willow tree, braided and twisted together until they reached the top, where they connected in arches of woven twigs. Thin forest green cotton swooped down from the canopy and veiled the bed from the rest of the chamber. Adding a dark wooden headboard, she leant back to inspect her work. It needed something else. Looking it over up and down, she grinned, and snapped her fingers. A delicate, almost invisible, engraving of wild vines appeared and snaked their way across the headboard. The ends of the vines swirled and twisted until they were lost in the grain of the wood. Perfect. Looking around the room, she decided that the next thing in order would be some natural light.

But how? It was obvious that she was in the dungeons. Having read there was a library in Hogwarts - a history, she decided to search it for an appropriate spell later. Magic could do anything, she was sure.

Putting aside some space for a large window, she went to the next corner. What next, she wondered. A couch, perhaps? Why would I need a couch? Until I make some friends, there will be nobody to come over and visit. Realizing that this room must be where she spent all of her time, including tutoring, she decided a desk was important. Flicking her finger, she created a plain oak medium size desk. She frowned. It just didn't fit. Shaking her head, she vanished it. Glancing over at her bed, she tried again. Twisting shoots of saplings grew and twisted, and formed themselves into a desk. The top of the desk rippled and smoothed into a dark level plane. Satisfied, she turned away.

Pacing across the room, she became aware of the cold stone underneath her bare toes. Deciding that she could never get out of a warm bed onto icy rock, she thought of a carpet that would suit her needs. It promptly grew from the stone, a warm beige color, trimmed short for convenience.

Staring hard at the wall between the second and third corners, a dresser appeared in the same manner as the desk. Drawers materialized in their proper places, and a handle bulged out of each. It was amazing to see it created, even if you were the one doing it. Staring at her luggage, she nodded her head towards the dresser, and all her clothing spewed out of it, neatly folded themselves, and put themselves away.

Unpacked, she shrunk her luggage and tossed it in the dresser too. The third corner remained empty.

The walls bugged her. The stone seemed to carry a chill in it, somehow. Plopping herself onto her new bed, she lay back and pondered the issue. Fix the walls, or heat the room? They were kind of artistic, if they weren't so bare. Letting out a tinkling laugh, she stared at the roof, and immediately roots sprouted. They covered the walls politely; a spurt here and there where there was a large crack in the stone. Nothing too drastic, but very homey. What would Severus say when he saw her room?

Severus… a person to ponder.


	8. Breakfast

Severus knocked and opened the door in one smooth movement. Beside the dresser, Samantha shrieked and dove for cover in the drapes on her bed. Recoiling, he jumped backwards and kicked the door shut, blushing furiously. It would take some time getting used to the idea that there was a person in his house other than him. Forget person - there was a _woman_ in his chambers! An alien species! No – strike that - he mentally admonished himself. A _student_ was in his chambers… and technically that room was _her_ chambers. Knocking lightly upon the door, he called through it, his words jumbled and his mind distracted.

"Hey, would you… do you want…Breakfast is starting in the great hall"

Oh, great. People gawking as she sat in a corner at her own small table. Feeling visibly alienated instead of just mentally estranged. All wearing the colors of a house except her. Her creepy silver hair and stormy grey eyes frightened all people in her old muggle school, was she to never belong anywhere? Never have friends? She didn't want fluffy pink girly sleepovers, but she would like a friend to speak with, or even to sit quietly with. She had never even had a pet before. Looking at her feet, she called softly through the door.

"Must we?"

"Your classes start today. Don't you want something to eat?"

"Eating's fine, but where would I sit?"

"Sit wherever you want. Make friends. Make enemies. Don't tell anyone anything you wouldn't want the school to know and exploit."

Samantha grinned at her closed door.

"Thanks. Really comforting."

"So, coming?"

"I guess, hang on…"

Striding over to the door, she opened it and glided through. With a snap of her fingers, her hair was combed and parted neatly. She looked up to meet the black eyes of her temporary provider.

"Okay, let's go."

Stomach clenching nervously, Samantha braced herself to enter the Great Hall. Taking a calming breath, she shook her hair and walked defiantly through the magestic oak doors. Walking calmly through the center aisle, she pretended to ignore the whisperings and mutterings that sprang up before her, and looked around for somewhere to sit. One of the students from the table furthest from her smiled and waved. She had long dirty blonde hair that fell to her waist and enormous owl-like glasses. She had a necklace made of some kind of cork-like material, and earrings twisted in the shape of radishes. There was a space on either side of her. The girl smiled and patted the bench beside her, indicating that she could join her if she liked. Returning the smile, she walked over and joined the girl, grateful for a friendly face. The whisperings around her doubled in intensity.

"Hello" said Samantha, unsure of what to say.

"Hello. You're Samantha, aren't you. What house were you finally sorted into?"

"Um, I don't have a house. I was apprentanced to Professor Snape."

"So you're an Independent?"

"Yes, you've heard of them?"

"Nobody else believed me when I said that not all students were sorted. Now perhaps they'll believe me about other stuff, like the scaly horses that pull the carriages up to the castle and the Nargles."

"Nargles?"

The two had a pleasant conversation for the rest of breakfast, each enjoying having someone to talk to. At the end of breakfast, as the students were filing out of the great hall, Samantha asked a final question.

"What's your name?"

"Oh, Luna. Luna Lovegood. Fifth year student of Hufflepuff. Number 489732. That's how you're supposed to respond in prison, you know. Name, rank, and serial number. Except in Africa. There you only have one name, and there aren't many prisons. Most criminals are just flogged and set free."

Luna turned and was swept away in the flood of students, humming softly to herself. Tears came to Samantha's eyes from holding in her laughter. Shaking with suppressed mirth, she collapsed in fits of semi-hysterical laughter in the first empty corner she came to. Maybe this term wouldn't be so bad after all.

Compared to being an African criminal, classes should be a piece of cake.


End file.
